Safety razor



April 2l, 1931. Y H. J. mism/1Nv 1,802,171

SAFETY RAZOR Filed April 14. 1927 INVENTOR ali/ma.

I y @65m ATTORNEY Patented pr. 21, 1931 Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HENRY J'. GAISHAN, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB, :BY IESNE ASSIGNIENTS, TO

GILLETTE SAFETY RAZOR COMPANY, F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORA- TION OF DELAWARE SAFETY RAZOR Application led April 14, 1897. Serial No. 183,686.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a safety razor in which the blade holder with the blade and the guard may be folded compactly with the blade edge protected when not in use, and whereby the guard and the blade may be moved into cooperative relation for shaving.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for rocking the blade holder with the blade by reciprocating the razor along a strop or hone with blade holder driving means in contact with the strop or hone.

Another object is to provide a simple and eicient blade holder whereby the blade may is be readily attached to and removed from the holder and will retain the required position for cooperation with the guard.

In carrying out my invention I provide a frame, a blade holder pivotally supported by the frame, a guard for the blade edge pivotally carried by the frame and adapted to extend outwardly therefrom to cooperate with the blade for shavingand to fold within the frame along the blade holder, and another member pivotally carried byv the frame on the side opposite the guard ada ted to fold along the blade holder, where y said member and the guard may be folded within the frame with the blade holder and blade between them for retaining the blade compactly with the blade edge protected.

Another feature of my invention comprises means for rocking the blade holder for sharpening the edge of the blade, such as for stropping or honing it, comprising a roller carried by the frame and having its periphery extending from the frame in position to engage the stro or hone, with aring connectin' said ro ler with the b ade holder, where y when the roller is placed a ainst a stropping or honing surface and the evice is reciprocated along the latter the blade holder will be rocked for successively presenting opite sides of the blade edge to the strop or one to be dragged along such surface for sharpening the lade edge.

My invention also comprises a blade holder including a member in plate -like form against which the blade is to be laid, a blade retainer pivotally carried by said blade holder member and adapted to bear on the blade to retain 1t on the holder member, said retainer and holder member having cooperative means for keeping the retainer clamped vposition on the holder member for cooperation of the blade with the guard and with the strop or hone.

My invention also comprises novel details of improvement that will be more fully hereinafter set forth and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had t0 the accompan mgrdrawings forming a part hereof, wherein ig. 1 is a side view of a safety razor embodying 'my invention, showing the parts in position for shaving;

Fi 2 is a central section of the razor showing t e blade released from the uard;

Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. 2 showing the blade holder and the blade folded within the' frame;

Fig. 4 is a. partly sectional side view of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an edge view looking in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 is a side view illustrating the razor in` stropping position.

Similar numeralsof reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

The numeral 1 indicates a frame shown comprising a base 1a and spaced uprights or sides 1b, and at 2 is a handle which may be attached to the base la in any desired way, such as by screw threads at 3. A blade holder is indicated at 4 shown comprisin a latelike member 4a against which the ila e 5 is to be laid with its cutting edge projecting beyond said member. The blade holder is pivotally supported upon and between the uprights 1b so as to swing within and through the space enclosed by the base 1a and the uprights 1b, such space being of such dimension that the blade may swing freely therein and therethrough without engaging the base or the uprights. A blade retainer is indicated at 6 pivotally carried by the blade holder member 4a and is shown comprising a transverse portion 6a to bear against the blade and arms 6b extending from said portion and provided with laterally disposed pivots or gudgeons 6o that are journaled in laterally extending projections or webs 4 carried by the blade holder member. The blade holder member and the retainer are provided with means to detachably connect them together with the blade therebetween, for which purpose I have shown the retainer portion 6a provided at its ends with reversely bent lugs or jaws 6" adapted to releasably grip th e a jacent edge portions of member 4a, the lugs 6 having sufficient flexibility or spring action to grip the holder member. lVhen the blade is to be inserted in the holder the retainer 6 is swung away from member 4a, the blade is laid against said member, and the retainer is swung back with its bar 6a bearing against the blade and its lugs 6 gripping the member 4a for retaining the blade. The blade holder member 4a is shown provided With projections 4b adapted to enter corresponding or complemental apertures 5a in the blade, said projections and a ertures being so corelated as to retain the bla e in proper posi- 'tion on the blade holder member 4a, so that the blade will not shift the pressure of the stop 7c against the blade. I have shown the openings 5a of the blade in the form of letters serving as a designation. The retainer 6 is shown so organized with relation to the openings 5a of the blade that the portion 6a of the retainer is at one side of said openings, such as adjacent to the outer edge portion of the blade holder member 4a in such a Way that the designations may be read.

The blade holder is pivotally supported by the frame 1 for cooperation with a guard that is pivotally supported by the frame. The guard 7 is shown comprising a bar 7a provided with guard teeth 7 b along its outer edge and with spaced inwardly disposed arms 7' pivotally supported by pivots 8 on the uprights 1b of frame 1, whereby the guard may swing relatively to the blade. Stops 7c upon the guard, shown in the form of hooks, are

adapted to enga e the blade edge near its corners to retain t e said edge in shaving relation to the guard teeth when the parts are assembled for shaving, as illustrated in Fig. 1. When the blade holder and blade are released from the guard and hang freel between the uprights 1b in frame 1 the guar may be folded between said uprights a ong one side of the blade, as illustrated in Fig. 3. I have also shown a retaining member 9 pivotally supported at 10 upon the uprights 1b of frame 1, on the side opposite the guard, in such a way that the retainer may be folded within the uprights of the frame on the side of the blade opposite the guard when the parts are assembled as shown in Fig. 3, to keep the blade f safely disposed Within the frame so that the shown gear teeth 7 connected wit the guard and gear teeth 9 connected with the retainer 9, said teeth being in mesh, whereby the member 9 may be manually operated for rotating it and thereby correspondingly operating the guard, whereby the member 9 and the guard may .simultaneously be folded within the frame 1 on opposite sides of the blade, by pushing up the member 9, as illustrated in ig. 3. By pulling the member 9 outwardly the guard Will be correspondingly moved outwardly, as illustrated in F ig. 2, to release the blade, and by setting the blade edge against the guard member and pushing up on retainer 9 the guard will be caused to approach the blade to adjust the guard stops or hooks 7c against the blade edge for retaining the latter in shaving position. Frictional engagement of the sides of the gear-s 7 and 9 with the adjacent upright 1b will cause the ard to remain in shaving relation to the lade. For convenience the retainer 9 is rovided with a finger piece 9" which may e manipulated for operating the retainer and the guard.

For stropping a blade edge rollers 11 are pivotally carried by. frame 1 and are provided with corresponding gears 12 in mesh with associate gears 13 connected to the blade holder. In the example illustrated the gears 9 have extending pivots or shafts 12 which j ournalled in bearing holes 1c in the u rights 1b and the rollers 11 are secured to said) pivots or shafts. As shown the gears 13 are connected to the projections or webs 4 of the blade holder by means of projections or studs 13 on the gears that pass through holes in sa id webs and are riveted thereto, the opposite sides of the gears being provided with outwardly extending ivots or gudgeons 13 that are journalled 1n adjacent bearing holes 14.- in the u rights 1b of frame 1, whereby the blade hol er 1s ivotally sup orted on said frame. The bla e holder may connected to the gears 13 and pivotally supported upon frame 1 in any other desired way. The peridpheries of the rollers 11 extend beyond the a jacent portions of frame 1 so as to engage a stroppi ng or honing surface, such as a stro or hone indicated at 15, (Fi 6). The rol ers 11 are shown outside of ame 1 so as not to interfere with the blade nor the blade holder which may rotate through a complete circle between the uprights 1b.

When the razor is to be used for shaving the parts will be assembled as shown in Fig. 1,

and when the blade is to be stropped the member 9 may be pulled outwardly, thereby causing the guard to release the blade, and the razor may be held in the hand with the rollers 11 against the strop or hone 15 with the blade resting thereon, in the manner illuslos , blade holder pivotally carried thereby trated in Fig. 6. .When the razor is first moved along the strop or hone in the direction of the arrow a in Fig. 6 the rollers 11 in engagement with the stro or hone will rotate and cause the blade to swung from the dotted position upwardly in the direction of the adjacent arrows through the frame to the full line position to drag behind the razor on the sharpenin surface to shar n the blade edge. In t e last named posltion of the blade the rollers will slide alon the stropping surface to the end of the stro e. When the direction of movement of the razor is reversed along the strop or hone the rollers 11 will be caused to rotate in such a way as to cause the blade holder to be rotated to reverse the position of the blade, (from the full line to the dotted line position in Fig. 6 to cause the adjacent corresponding edge o the blade to bear upon the stro ping surface, and by gushing the razor a ong said surface the lade edge will be dragged thereon, for sharpening it. Thus, by reciprocat' the razor alongY the stroppin surface wit the rollers 11 in engagement t erewith the blade will be rocked to present opposite sides of its cutting edge alternatel against the stropping surface, and as the lade rotates from one position to another it will swing within frame 1 free from contact with-base 1a and the side prights 1b. By adjusting the guard 7 and the retainer 9 on opposite sides of the blade, as indicated in Fig. 3, the blade will be kept in a protected position alfording a P convenient way for storin the blade in the frame for future use and or transportation. Instead of having gears 12,V 13 at opposite ends of the blade holder such gears may be arranged at one end of the blade holder only, while the roller 11 at the opposite end of the frame is mounted for rotation without servin to rotate the blade.

y invention is not limited to the details of construction and arrangement of parts set l forth as the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having now described my invention what I claim is 1. A safety razor comprising a frame,

Sal frame having sides spaced a art a sullicient distance for the passa e of t e blade holder therebetween, the bla e holder being of less len h than the length of said space, whereby the lade holder and a blade carried thereby may freely swing through said space without engagin the frame and a guard pivotally carried y and within the frame adapted to cooperate with the blade for shaving, said guard being of less length than said space and mounted to be folded within said space along the blade when the latter is vvwithin said 2. A safety razor as set forth in claim 1,

in which the frame is provided with a blade retainer of less lenh than the length of said therethrough without engaginur the rame, a

guard pivotally carried by the rame adapted to cooperate with the blade for shaving, said guard being mounted to be folded along the blade when the latter is within said space, a retainer pivotally carried by the frame adapted to be folded along the blade on the side opposite the guard when the blade is within said s ace, and Y gearing connecting the guard an the retainer for joint operation thereof.

4. A safety razor as set forth in claim 3, in which the retainer is provided with a finger piece adapted to be manipulated for operating the retainer and the guard teeth.

5. A safety razor as set forth in claim 3, in which the guard is provided with stops to cooperate with the blade for retaining the latter in shaving relation to the guard.

6. Blade stropping means comprising a frame, a blade holder pivotall carried thereby, a roller pivotally carrie by the frame and located on the exterior and at one side thereof out of the path of the blade holder ermittin the latter to rotate a complete circle an through the frame, and gearing interposed between the blade holder and the roller for rocking the blade holder when the roller is reciprocated along a sharpening surface.

HENRY J. GAISMAN. 

